Anthony

Weaver

It’s a homecoming for Weaver, who spent the first four years of his career as a player with the Ravens and also served on their coaching staff from 2021 to 2023. Weaver fielded several head coaching interviews this coaching cycle and had multiple second interviews. When the dust finally settled on the process, he was left without a head coaching offer, and will now look to takeover a Ravens defense that’s already loaded with talent. Weaver’s defense finished 22nd in yards allowed and 24th in points allowed this season, but ranked in the top-10 in both categories the previous year. With head coach Jesse Minter already set to call plays, Weaver will likely be tasked more with the weekly game planning and preparation alongside Minter.

Weaver remains one of the hottest names in the league’s head coaching searches. The 45-year-old coach recently had a second interview with the Steelers, and was also a finalist for the Ravens’ job before they opted to go with Jesse Minter. He was also a finalist for the Saints’ head coaching job last year. Weaver has spent the last two seasons as the Dolphins’ defensive coordinator and was previously with the Ravens from 2021-2023. It seems like only a matter of time before he secures his first head-coaching gig.

This is Weaver’s second interview with the Steelers, and the first in-person. Dolphins is also a candidate for the Bills’ head-coaching vacancy and has been linked to the Giants’ defensive coordinator vacancy. He previously interviewed for the now-filled Ravens’ head-coaching role.

Weaver is suddenly a popular name among teams looking to fill head coaching jobs in the coming days and weeks. Weaver, Miami’s defensive coordinator over the past two seasons, has talked to the Ravens and Steelers about their head coaching vacancies and will now enter the fray as Buffalo’s potential top guy after the team fired Sean McDermott. The Bills are also interviewing former Giants head coach Brian Daboll and Jaguars OC Grant Udinsky. Weaver’s Miami defense over the past two seasons has given up the league’s ninth highest EPA per play and seventh highest offensive success rate.

Baltimore’s process drags on. The Ravens had a 16-coach list (that we know of), and are beginning the second interview phase shortly. Of Baltimore’s interviews, Kevin Stefanski and Robert Saleh have come off the board already. It looks like Anthony Weaver, Jesse Minter, and Joe Brady are early finalists for the position. It’s Campanile’s second head coaching interview, and with the Dolphins job now secured, his only active lead towards being a head coach.

The Steelers reportedly completed virtual interviews with seven coaches during the previous week, to include, Evero, Packers DC Jeff Hafley, 49ers OC Klay Kubiak, Chargers DC Jesse Minter, Rams pass game coordinator Nate Scheelhaase, Rams DC Chris Schula, and Dolphins DC Anthony Weaver. The team will also reportedly conduct in-person interviews this week for the select few that made it through their first round of questioning. More to come following the unexpected departure of Mike Tomlin, who had been the league’s longest tenured coach.

Weaver now has second interviews scheduled with both the Ravens and Steelers, and is scheduled to meet with the Ravens on Tuesday. Weaver spent four seasons with the Ravens as a player from 2002 to 2005, and also worked under John Harbaugh from 2021 to 2023. He’s received several head coaching interviews in recent years since joining the coaching ranks, and could finally be on the verge of securing his first head-coaching gig this coaching cycle.

Weaver is also reportedly being targeted by new Giants head coach John Harbaugh to fill his defensive coordinator vacancy, but the long-time coach will continue to field interviews for head-coaching openings for the time being. Weaver has already met with the Ravens for their head-coaching vacancy, but the Steelers are the first time interested in giving him a second look. Weaver’s name has floated around a future head coach for the last several seasons. His Dolphins regressed in 2025 after finishing as a top-10 defensive unit the previous season, but with seven head coaching jobs still on the table, it wouldn’t be surprising if Weaver landed his first gig this offseason.

Per Schrager, Bullen has a chance to remove the “interim” part of his title, which makes sense. He significantly improved the Giants’ defensive performance after receiving the in-season promotion in Week 13, improving their quarterback pressure rate from 32.9 to 39.9 percent and lowering their yards allowed per play average from 6.1 to 5.1. The remaining four candidates include former Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon, Dolphins DC Anthony Weaver, Ravens DC Zach Orr and Browns DC Jim Schwartz.

Todd Monken was quickly labeled as a likely Harbaugh offensive coordinator in New York, but we had to wait about 12 hours to get a good leak about the defensive coordinator. Weaver makes plenty of sense as a former Harbaugh defensive line/assistant head coach in the early 2020s before taking his current job as Dolphins defensive coordinator. Weaver has interviewed for several head-coaching positions this cycle, so it’s possible he gets a shot as a head man, but it seems like he’d be in good hands if those didn’t shake out.